The Lycanthrope's Curse
by FredandGeorgetwinsoftheC.O.C.A
Summary: A disastrous mission to Halloweentown ends with Roxas being attacked by a werewolf. Nobody believes Axel when he tries to tell them something isn't right with Roxas after. Will anyone be able to stop the monster he becomes before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Hi, Fred and George here with a Halloween special. If enough people read and review, we'll actually get in gear and post more. But, if nobody (no pun intended) wants to see what happens next, here's a little explanation. Roxas is sent to Halloweentown on a mission, where he is bitten by a werewolf. Obviously, we won't tell you here what happens next. So read!

Disclaimer: Much as we've tried, they refuse to sell us any part of the rights except stock. And we're broke.

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An eerie silence lingered in the foggy atmosphere. Low clouds drifted noiseless about the dead, shriveled plants sparsely covering the cracked, barren ground. A black forest void of any light stood ominously in the path of the lone figure in a dark cloak who wandered down the foreboding lane.

A howl resounded in the distance, echoed in the forest by the flapping of leathery wings. A swarm of screeching bats disrupted the serene disturbia the robed figure occupied. He ducked gracefully to avoid the onslaught of flying mammals, but the wind rushing by from their frenzied flight blew his hood down to reveal golden hair shining like a beacon in the black light.

He stood back up, looking at the full moon overhead with eyes of the clearest blue. "Great night for a mission to Halloweentown," he muttered. "Who knows what's out there _on_ Halloween?"

As if in answer, he heard a rustle in the trees ahead. He stopped short. "Hello?" No response. As soon as he'd said it, the young man realized how stupid he was being. It was probably the wind, or some little animal. With any luck, it was just a harmless heartless.

He walked forward, determined to get the mission over with so he could go back home and sleep. He entered the forest, eyes adjusting to the utter void before him. Another howl rumbled through the trees, its haunting musical quality filling him with apprehension.

A snap to his left caught his attention. The blonde's head whipped to the side to see a tiny heartless scurry away. Suddenly, he felt a sharp clawing at his ankle.

Without thinking, he summoned his Keyblades. The brilliant flash momentarily lit up the forest, allowing him to see his enemy. Several dozen heartless were surrounding him, climbing nearby trees, and growing out of the ground. He estimated nearly forty-an easy workout.

Moments later, only wisps of vapor remained of the deceased enemy. He dismissed the Keyblades as soon as he was sure no more were about to emerge from the silent shadows. He sat on a nearby rock to assess the damage.

Cut ankle. Scratched arm. Gash in his pants with a small trickle of blood soaking through. Nothing too bad. He'd had worse, he'd certainly recover. He was about to get up and get on with his mission when another rustle of leaves caught his attention.

He shrugged it off, figuring it was just another heartless. He slowly stood, making his way cautiously through the forest. The sooner he found that stupid tree, the faster he could complete his mission. The rustling seemed to follow, so he quickened his pace.

A heavy weight suddenly tackled him to the ground. His face hit the ground roughly, roots and twigs scraping his skin. A leathery appendage batted at his neck and he could feel scraggly fur of sorts covering the creature.

A howl ripped from its jaws. Cold shivers flew down his spine as he realized what the creature pinning him was. He held as still as he could, trying not to provoke the wolf.

Its snout lowered and he felt sticky puffs of rancid breath caress his neck. Somehow, the wolf then flipped him over, jaws bared at him in a snarl. An oozing trail of spittle hung from its mouth, in danger of plopping onto his terrified face.

Its eyes, however, were worth observing. They were a sickly yellow, almost glowing in the darkness. Every now and then as they stared off, however, he could see a flicker of something deeper than savage blood thirst flit through the eyes, softening them until they looked almost…

Human. With a gasp, he realized this was a werewolf. A regular wolf was enough of a threat, but a werewolf was much likelier to snap and attack because of the instability in its mind.

He froze even more, tensing in an attempt not to so much as breathe the wrong way. The werewolf did not like this and raked its claws across his chest. He let out an involuntary silent scream, feeling pain flood through him as blood seeped from the multitudes of wounds. The creature suddenly lunged forward, clamping its jaws tightly on his neck. He screamed, feeling blood trickle from his mouth and gush from his throat.

"This is it," he thought as his vision grew foggy. He was going to die at the hands-well, jaws-of a massive monster.

A heavy weight lifted from his chest. The werewolf had stepped off him, running into the heart of the woods at the sound of more shaking bushes and trees. Gathering every ounce of his strength, he opened a portal with one hand while trying in vain to stem some of his excessive bleeding with the other.

It was futile. The portal opened, but he didn't have the strength to pull himself through. The pain blocked his vision, which quickly began to turn black.

"Maybe…Axel will notice…the portal," he whispered. He gasped for breath, praying to any deity or entity that would listen that someone would find him.

And then-his world went dark.

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Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! Just a couple quick notes. Okay, first, let us know what you think about the rating. We're considering changing it because we realized that there would be some coarse language in upcoming chapters. Language only, people! (Heads out of the gutters!)

Also, we would like to establish some facts. Roxas, Demyx, and Axel are best friends. They are so close, they are like brothers. (Like how we're not related, but we may as well be twins like Fred and George.) They call each other brothers, and that's all they are. NO SLASH, STOP THINKING IT.

Disclaimer: We're still broke. And the stock market's not even that great right now...wanna lend us some money to buy out Disney and Square?

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Axel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He leaned his head on the wall, closing his eyes tightly and taking a deep breath. "So when's he gonna wake up?" he asked Vexen tightly.

Vexen took his stethoscope out of his ears and placed it on the bedside table. "I cannot say, Eight. It could be later today, it could be next week. The only thing which I can confidently assure you at this moment in time is that he will indeed awake. His injuries were not very deep, nor were any what I would call grave. It appears that he was attacked by a horde of heartless, indicating that he will indeed make a full recovery."

Axel turned back towards the man addressing him. He winced when he caught a glimpse of the boy to whom they were referring. Roxas lay in the sterile white bed, completely unmoving. Rather than looking merely asleep, he looked almost dead. Small scratches graced his face, but his heavily bandaged neck and covered body concealed the full extent of the damage.

As the one who had found Roxas bleeding to the point of almost fading, Axel could still see the gaping claw marks marring his chest every time he looked at him. He shuddered and struggled not to break down right there. Vexen couldn't see him cry. If he was going to dissolve, Roxas was the only one with the right to witness it. Brothers could see each other cry, after all.

"Eight, I am going to find Six and conduct further tests on the tissue and blood near the site of the attack. We believe there is some foreign DNA-type material that may cause a mutation in him if left unidentified and untreated. If he happens to awake, send for me immediately," Vexen said. He felt no pain for Roxas's injuries, but for Axel's sake he was not overly cold about it.

Axel just nodded and sat on a stool next to Roxas's bed in the Infirmary. He took the younger Nobody's hand and closed his eyes, wishing the hand didn't feel so deathly cold. "C'mon, buddy," he whispered. "You gotta make it! You need to wake up…"

Vexen left the room, but Axel didn't notice. A warm, gloved hand rested softly on his shoulder. Too much in shock from Roxas's attack, Axel didn't even jump when the intruder touched him.

"So…how long has he been out?" a quiet, sensitive voice asked. Axel knew without even opening his eyes that Demyx was the one who had come to see their friend, their little brother.

He shook his head, eyes never opening. If he looked at the reality, he couldn't pretend that Roxas was just asleep and badly in need of a pair of gloves. "Few hours," he whispered hoarsely. His throat felt raw all of a sudden, his eyes burning under his closed eyelids. "I found him on the other side of an open portal, passed out and bleeding like hell…Vexen says he'll make it…"

Demyx knew that Axel had added the last part as reassurance for himself, not a factual update for the newcomers. "It'll be alright, I promise," he offered, pulling up a chair next to Axel.

"You don't know that Dem. Besides, you didn't see him there, bleeding out… I was sure he was gonna fade…"

"But he didn't. Because you got him here in time. You're a hero, think of it that way!" he said, trying to put on a convincing smile in the tense room.

"Wish I wasn't," Axel mumbled. "I'd rather be a regular old nobody-seriously a no one-than have ever needed to play hero for something like this. I should have taken that mission. I could just burn through the heartless, no matter how many of them there are. And an attack on that scale isn't exactly proportional to someone my size versus his…"

"Axel." Demyx's voice turned commanding, as if he was talking to a small child who was insisting he wasn't tired while yawning. "There was nothing you could do. No one knew the mission would involve an attack, we thought he was just going to investigate how the trees in that forest act as portals to other towns. You had no way of knowing!"

The pyromaniac sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. "I know," he muttered in defeat. "I just-I feel like I should have known anyway…"

Demyx now took his turn to sigh. "Ax, it's called Survivor's Guilt. You'll feel better as soon as he wakes up and assures you he's alright. And then you'll be glad you were the hero, instead of wishing for things no one can change. Except maybe Luxord, although I don't think we can yank him back from his own mission who-knows-where to come reverse time when Roxas is gonna be fine anyway…"

"…can he even do that?"

"Um, probably not. But even if he could, he wouldn't. That's the point. We'll all come out of this better off. Maybe a little worse for the wear, but we'll be better people."

"Get out."

"What?" Demyx asked in confusion.

"Get out. Go away. Go get your stupid degree in psychology already, quit plain old flaunting it over me."

Demyx laughed a bit and shook his head, clapping Axel on the shoulder lightly. "Fine, fine…while I'm at it, I'll get a degree in computers so I can help install that thinking-things-through program you seem to lack…"

Axel mock glared at him. "Now Demyx, you know I like not thinking things through. It gives everything a sense of adventure."

Demyx rolled his eyes. "Well your sense of adventure is kinda screwy, got it memorized?" He grinned cheekily and portalled away before Axel could react.

Alone again, Axel's light spirit drooped. "Guess it's just you and me again, Rox…at least until Demyx finishes college…"

OoO

It was dark. Roxas opened his eyes slowly, blinking to adjust to the dim light coming from Kingdom Hearts out the window.

_Where am I?_ he thought. _I…I'm not dead? I made it…but, how?_

He turned his head slightly to the side, hissing in pain when his neck moved. Kingdom Hearts, that hurt. It felt like he'd had his head removed and reattached, the muscles were so sore and torn up.

A warm weight was resting on his hand. His eyes searched out the source of unnatural heat, finding something identifiably red and hairy on top of his limb. The creature appeared to be breathing…Roxas felt like an idiot when he realized Axel had fallen asleep by his bedside.

"Thanks, Ax…" he whispered, his throat dry and his voice strained. He figured that Axel had stayed while visiting and could use the sleep, so it didn't matter whether he heard him or not.

He shifted in the bed, trying not to yelp with every new injury he discovered through motion. He moaned in discomfort as his chest throbbed when he breathed too deeply.

Axel stirred at the sound of another voice in the Infirmary. Maybe Demyx had popped by again? He sat up slowly, groaning as he felt his neck rebel as a result of falling asleep hunched over like that.

He blinked and saw Roxas staring back at him with blue-green eyes that seemed to glow in the half-light. "Roxas? Rox, you're awake! Oh man, you're okay!"

Without thinking, he leaped half onto the bed and grabbed Roxas in a tight hug, launching the younger Nobody into a raving fit.

"Aaah! Axel! Get the hell off me, you bastard! What the hell are you thinking?" Roxas shoved Axel off, hissing at him.

Axel sat back in his chair, blinking stupidly. Roxas panted lightly, trying not to breathe too heavily despite the pain because his lungs still felt shredded.

"I…I'm sorry, Rox. I was just-just glad that you woke up… it's been three whole days since I've seen you awake, since you left that morning for that mission to Halloweentown. I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered gently. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I just…I was so worried…"

Roxas's face softened a tad. "It's alright, Ax. I'm glad you did find me. I just, well, wasn't exactly ready for the pain…shit, how badly did I get beat up?"

Axel laughed tightly. "Well, let's just say it's a little pathetic. Almost like getting beaten by a girl. I mean, c'mon, heartless? Those better have been some kick-ass heartless if they got you so badly…"

Roxas stiffened almost imperceptibly. His eyes flashed a brighter green for a moment, catching Axel's attention. "Hey Rox, you feelin' alright? You look a little-"

"Shut up," he said coldly. "Just shut the hell up. You have no idea what the hell you're talking about, got it fricking memorized? Those 'heartless' that attacked me weren't exactly your run-of-the-mill shadows. Not unless you've been attacked by a shadow that weighs more than you do and has a bloodlust worse than Larxene's!"

Axel was floored. There was something off about Roxas; his voice and face were hardened, and his eyes looked unnaturally bright.

"Roxas?" he asked tentatively. Axel decided that Demyx was right. He did need to be more cautious when thinking things through. Roxas had now snapped at him twice in less than a minute, something he would never have done before his attack.

Roxas looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, Ax. I don't know what came over me…I just…I don't really want to talk about it yet, okay? I'm still trying to come to terms with it all, and you've had more time to find out the extent of my injuries than I have. I just…need some time, okay? Sorry…"

Axel relaxed. "It's okay, buddy. You just rest up, alright? 'Cause the sooner you get better, the sooner Vexen will let me bring you ice cream as a little get well treat. He says I can't give you anything for forty-eight hours after you wake up. Is it my problem that I want to take care of my little brother?"

"Yes, yes it is. Now let me sleep."

"Fiiiine. Oh, I gotta go tell Vexen you're up! I won't let him prod you _too _too much while you're asleep. Get some rest, I'll see you when you wake up again."

Roxas nodded and settled back down onto his pillow, trying to get comfortable again even though he was in pain from all his wounds. He was soon fast asleep, exhausted even after being unconscious and dead to the world for two whole days after the disastrous mission ended.

Axel smiled weakly and ruffled Roxas's hair. "'Night buddy," he said, slipping quietly out the door to go hunt down Vexen and tell him Roxas had finally stirred.

* * *

Note: Roxas was sent to Halloweentown in the morning. He was there a full day before the attack, then he was unconscious for a full two days afterward.

Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Hi! Here's chapter 3. It's fairly long, so consider it like a bonus chapter. It's like 2 separate ones, but more satisfying...we hope.

Disclaimer: As always, we are pathetic teenagers with unhealthy obsessions with fictional characters. Do you seriously still think we have the ability to own it?

Kingdom Hearts on a hot dog bun, don't sue us, got it memorized?? (Thanks for the phrase Xanrivash...)

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Axel rushed down the hallways of the castle, racing himself to get to Vexen's room as quickly as humanly possible. He slammed through the door to the lab adjoining without knocking, stopping short when he crashed into a metal lab table with test tubes balanced precariously on its edge.

The inevitable resounding crash got the Chilly Academic to come investigate, at least.

"Eight, what is the meaning of this? Has something changed in Thirteen's status? If not, I can hardly see what merits destroying my experiments."

"He's up! Roxas woke up! He's going to be okay now, right?" Axel asked excitedly, not noticing the grave look on Vexen's face.

"I shall come examine him and see. In theory he shall recover without a hitch, but Six and I have not completed our analysis of the-"

"Less talking, more examining!" With that, Axel raced back in the other direction, leaving almost as loudly as he had come.

Vexen looked over at Zexion, who was still in the back corner minding their current research. "Look into it," was all he said before following Axel hurriedly to the Infirmary.

Axel skidded to a stop by Roxas's bed. He panted, slightly out of breath from his run and all the adrenaline he'd circulated in the last hour or so.

Roxas stirred. "Ax...'sat you? 'M tired..."

"It's alright, go ahead and sleep. Vexen's coming to check on you now. Maybe we can get you out of here tomorrow if you check out all right!"

Vexen finally entered the room, looking less than pleased to be there, although certainly not tired in any way. "Thirteen, it is good to see you awake. This bodes well for your eventual full recovery. How are you feeling? Any symptoms to report?"

Roxas shook his head and looked to Axel for help. Axel couldn't help but notice that, once again, Roxas's eyes appeared to glow with a greenish tint to them that Axel didn't recall ever seeing before the aborted mission. "Hey Vexen, do his eyes look greenish or yellowish to you? Usually they're more blue..." he said, examining his friend closely.

Vexen sighed. "Eight, unlike you, I have a life that involves something besides staring into Thirteen's eyes all day long. If there are any other useful symptoms you can report, please do share. If not, I do not wish to hear about the lovely color of Thirteen's eyes."

Roxas glared at Axel coldly. "Yeah, Ax. Unless you have something constructive to say, let me get back to my freaking sleep! Or would you rather stare at my eyes all night?" he asked in a huff.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Go back to bed, Rox. You obviously need the sleep."

"Don't order me around!"

"I'm your superior, I can do whatever I want."

"Well go screw yourself or something. I wanna sleep."

"That's what I told you to do!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Vexen watched the exchange with mild disinterest. If the two wanted to bicker, he need not waste his time paying attention. He quickly checked several things, including Roxas's bandages and vital signs, before stalking out of the room unnoticed. His task completed, he went back to the one at hand in his lab.

* * *

"Demyx, I am telling you, there's something different about him!" Axel insisted to the stubborn musician. "I swear, when I hugged him, he got this look in his eyes like I was fresh meat or something! That wasn't the Roxas I know!"

"Axel, chill. He's just had a traumatic experience and he's still disoriented from all the injuries and confusion. Can you blame him for overreacting a little?"

"A little? Demyx, he called me a bastard and told me in not as many words that he thinks I'm an idiot!"

"Yes, and? That only serves to prove that his head is on completely straight. What's the problem there?"

"Dem, you're not helping the situation any here."

"Well you did hug him Ax. And in case you forgot, he did get cut up pretty badly on his chest-"

"Like I _could_ forget! I found him Demyx! I couldn't forget that even if I tried!" Axle interrupted.

Demyx looked at him sympathetically. "I know Axel," he said solemnly. "But he's fine now. You found him, and he's gonna make a full recovery because of it. My point was, that probably hurt. A lot. He has the right to snap at you after that."

"But you didn't see him! Demyx, I am telling you, there was something off with him. His eyes flashed and it wasn't just like he was mad. It was like something was possessing him, or he was becoming a different person!"

Demyx stared at him critically. "Axel, are you sure you're not just afraid of him moving on? I mean, this was as close to a near-death experience as he's ever had. People always say that after something like that, they change. They realize that life is short and they can't waste a moment of it. I think you're afraid that Roxas will realize that and find new friends and seize the moment. But if you really want him to be happy and that does end up happening, Kingdom Hearts forbid, you need to support him and let him go."

Axel sighed. "I guess...maybe-maybe you're right. I'm just so afraid of losing him now! I thought for sure we had when I walked through that open portal and saw him there. He, he was almost starting to...to fade," he gulped. "And all that blood...the claws...I was sure for a moment it was too late and he would die like that, torn to ribbons by heartless."

Demyx gave a wry grin. "Axel, Roxas can handle himself with heartless. If he was gonna go out like that, it would have been a hell of a battle, trust me. So either he got completely mobbed, or those were some freaking kick-ass heartless." He paused. "Or we're entirely off-track and a werewolf or something bit him. Either or. Which one is more ridiculous?"

Axel laughed weakly. "Yeah, you're right. Halloweentown on Halloween must be teeming with heartless. He probably didn't see them until it was too late because of the darkness in the forest. He was just in the wrong place at the right time, huh?"

Demyx shook his head. "Ax, I'm pretty sure the expression is 'wrong place at the wrong time,' not the right time." Axel grinned cheekily.

"Well that's how I say it. So there. Got it memorized?"

* * *

Zexion put the heavy book back down on the desk in front of Vexen with a thud. The elder Nobody jerked awake at the sound, jumping slightly out of his chair. "Wake up," the former commanded. "I believe I have come across data which can aid us in formulating an entirely new hypothesis – one which requires immediate action and research if proven to be valid."

Vexen looked at the open page before him. The title of the article caught his eye. "Werewolves? Six, are you aware of the repercussions there could be if we go to the Superior with information this serious with only a hypothesis?"

Zexion nodded. "I've petitioned Two for an off-the-record venture to the site of the attack. I assume that if my hypothesis holds, DNA may be found to match that which we discovered in Thirteen's wounds. We can then go to the Superior with our findings. The process can no longer be reversed after his first full transformation, so we must act quickly. Until such a time as we can definitively say that this is or is not the case, we shall keep our findings confidential."

The Chilly Academic nodded slowly. "That course of action sounds suitable. I will go to Two in the morning and present Thirteen's medical records as an incentive to approve the mission for medical purposes."

Zexion nodded, but looked thoughtful. "One other problem may present itself. It is probable that acquiring DNA that can be confirmed as from a werewolf will not be possible until the next full moon. In the meantime, it would be wise to concoct an antidote for the infectious DNA. If Thirteen does indeed turn out to be infected with lycanthrope DNA, it is imperative to have the antidote ready and perfected by the time Thirteen will have initiated the transformation."

Vexen nodded. "Agreed. I shall begin research on the probable antidote in the morning. For now I should like to continue research on the nature of werewolves to further determine if this tangent will be beneficial."

Zexion nodded and left without a sound. Vexen pulled out the records in question and dragged the open book closer to him. He compared the texts, noticing with vague apprehension that Axel had reported Roxas's eyes flashing yellow or green and glowing in dim light. The dusty tome Zexion had provided said that a werewolf could be recognized by its glowing yellow eyes. Roxas had snapped at Axel several times, including at least once when Vexen was present. Werewolves were known to be more aggressive than regular humans, even when not transformed. He also would bear the scars of claw marks Vexen now was convinced were those of a wolf, not a heartless.

Vexen sighed in as close to exasperation as he could get. They should have found it sooner. How could he have let an entire week pass since bandaging the bites on Roxas's neck and not thought of the possibility of a werewolf, or even just a regular wolf? Beating himself up for a moment, Vexen huffed and went back to his book to compare Roxas and the form he might become.

* * *

"Rox? Hey, how're you feeling?" Axel asked hesitantly as he poked his head into the Infirmary. Roxas glanced over at him tiredly, deep purple bags under his eyes setting off their slightly green coloring to an alarming degree.

"Hey Ax," he rasped through his still-sore throat. "I'm alright...pretty tired. By the way...I never thanked you," he whispered. "You saved my life, buddy. I owe you one..."

Axel grinned weakly. "No problem, bro. I can only hope you'd do the same for me if it ever comes down to it."

Roxas smirked slightly. "I dunno," he replied. "Would I?"

His tone was joking, but his face was deadly serious beside the smirk. Axel felt his blood run cold. Was Demyx right? Was Roxas going to change and leave them? Would Roxas still even care enough to save their lives? To spare their lives?

Axel cleared his throat nervously. The Key of Destiny's face softened and his eyes darkened slightly. "Vexen says you can get out in about a week," Axel began. "We have to keep an eye on you still, obviously, and he has to check you over every day or two, but you'll temporarily be in the clear..."

Roxas smiled ever so slightly and his face lit up. "Thanks, Ax. Man, I can't wait to get out. It's so boring in here!" Axel laughed at Roxas's eagerness.

"I know, buddy. Just hang in there. You'll be out of here in no time."

* * *

Demyx walked at a leisurely pace down the stark white corridors. Every week or so, Naminé got to go out and do something accompanied by one or two members. They usually just went in rank order to keep it fair. Demyx was on duty today, so he was on his way to go fetch her and take her to Twilight Town.

He didn't know why, but for some odd reason, she only ever asked to go there with him and Axel. She changed up the destinations with everyone else, hardly ever repeating a visit to anywhere. Yet she and Roxas both exhibited this strange attraction to Twilight Town. Whenever either was allowed to go out and do as they pleased, they could generally be found holed up on the clock tower with a sea salt ice cream in hand.

It was strange, though, that she never asked to go to Twilight Town with Roxas, he mused as he finally made it to her door. He'd have to ask her about that after he got her that dessert...

He knocked gently on the door, knowing that he had to be polite even if the girl made it a point to be waiting and ready just behind the door. "Hey Nam!" he called. "It's Demyx! You ready to go?"

As expected, the door swung open at an alarming speed, causing Demyx to jump back a bit or risk having his face bashed in by a large plank of wood. He cautiously took a step inside, looking around to see Naminé collecting her pencils and crayons and putting them back in order on the small shelving unit next to her door. Her head was down and her platinum blond locks covered her face. Demyx assumed by the shaking he could see in her hands and the hasty opening of the door that she was excited.

"Hey, all set? Let's go get some ice cream!" he prompted, wondering to himself why the memory witch had yet to greet him. She nodded stiffly and got up, still refusing to meet his eyes. His face melted in a look of concern, but Naminé took no notice, silently heading to the door.

* * *

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You're being really quiet, even for you," Demyx said gently as they were leaving for the castle.

"I'm okay…" she murmured while gazing anywhere but his face.

"Positive? 'Cause you're worrying me. Are you sick or something? I can take you to Vexen and have him check you out…"

She was only half-listening. A small stand near where they lingered by the clock tower caught her eye.

"I'll only be a minute," Naminé whispered to a still-concerned Demyx. His brow crinkled in concern, but he nodded. She darted off to the small ice-cream stand advertising the blue treat she was seeking. "One please. Keep the change," she muttered, putting the appropriate munny on the counter.

The vendor handed her one popsicle and swept the munny into the cash register below his counter. She whispered her thanks, then ambled back to the waiting Melodious Nocturne.

She still had yet to meet his gaze, which only confirmed Demyx's suspicions that something was not quite right with the girl. Though she was usually rather reserved, this level of shyness and being removed from conversation was beyond her normal state. Especially when they were on one of these outings, he reasoned. She was actually fairly open with him, and Axel and Roxas. Her silence was disquieting.

"I'm ready. Let's go back. And I think I will stop at the Infirmary…I want to give this to Roxas, even if I'm not sick. I just wanna stop at my room and grab some colored pencils and paper. I think I can get some nice light in there for sketching…"

Demyx smiled a bit. "Alright. Ladies first," he replied, opening a portal for her to enter. She nodded courteously and entered the portal quickly. Demyx followed at a slower, more relaxed pace. He entered her room as she was rushing out her door, pads of paper, pencils, and the ice cream in her hands.

He hurried after her, turning a corner just as Naminé reached the top of the staircase. He kept walking, not noticing her difficulty with the many things in her arms.

It was as if everything stopped. Life felt as if it was moving in slow motion. He watched as Naminé suddenly pitched forward, trying to catch a box of pencils she dropped. A silent scream escaped her lips as her hand grasped empty air and her top tumbled over itself. He saw her tumble sluggishly down the stairs, coming to a sudden stop at one of the many landings.

He was frozen in shock. As his out-of-body experience ended, he forced his feet to tear their roots from the ground and rushed down to her side. "Naminé!" he yelped, going to feel for a pulse before realizing how stupid he was being. He picked her up gingerly, trying not to jostle her body too much. He raced off towards the Infirmary, chanting to himself the whole time. _Please don't let it be too late…_

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Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Well. Aren't we neglectful? We're so sorry that we are terrible, terrible people, but we were totally overwhelmed all through school, and then summer meant that we were never together. Don't worry, though, we are not giving up on this story yet. In fact, we may just be getting started...thank you to those of you who still have an interest!

Disclaimer: If we owned Kingdom Hearts...use your imagination. Enough said.

R&R!

* * *

Demyx felt like he had déjà vu. Only a few days before, he had had the same foreboding feeling of not quite being completely in the present. Grief and fear blocked his mind and kept him from feeling like he was actually living through his experiences.

Except this time he was partially at fault. When Roxas got attacked, no one could have anticipated or prevented it. But when Naminé fell, it was like his world had toppled. He was in charge of her at the time, the one who was with her and could have-should have-stopped her fall. He should have thrown himself out to catch her instead of standing there like an idiot, frozen and waiting for it to be too late before moving.

He sat in a chair by her hospital bed, watching her breathe weakly. She looked even paler than normal, if that was possible. Demyx had never noticed before, but she had faint dark circles under her eyes, as if she had gone a long time without sleep. Or maybe it was a side effect of the IV in her good arm. Whatever the case, she looked like a wreck.

"How is she?" a scratchy voice asked from behind him. Demyx jumped at the noise. He hadn't realized that Roxas was awake yet. He thought he'd been alone watching over Naminé.

"She'll live," he said gruffly. "Broken arm-compound fracture in her wrist. Sprained leg with a twisted ankle. She was also slightly feverish when I brought her in. Vexen thinks she fell mostly because she has some kind of infection that clogged up her sinuses and her ears were all stuffy. That probably threw off her sense of balance, so…"

Roxas snorted. "A common cold and it threatened her life…now how's that for a way to go?"

Demyx shot him a quick glare. "Rox, just because you fought a freaking army of heartless and lived to tell the tale with minor permanent damage doesn't mean that everybody has the same sheer dumb luck as you do. Naminé took a nosedive down a whole flight of stairs, using her arm as a shock absorber. And she was sick on top of it. I bet if we pushed you down the stairs, you'd come out banged up as well!"

The younger Nobody growled slightly. "Don't talk about what happened to me like that! You have no idea what I had to fight!" Demyx rolled his eyes, figuring Roxas had been beaten by far fewer heartless than he was leading them to believe, and his bravado was merely to save face. "And you wouldn't dare to push me down the stairs," he added coldly. "Believe me, it might just be the last thing you ever do if you try."

Demyx turned around in his seat to give Roxas a scathing retort, but he faltered when he saw his eyes. They had flashed green, far greener than Roxas's eyes ever should have been. Demyx hesitated, forgetting what he had been about to say. Suddenly Axel's worries seemed a lot more legitimate than before.

"Look Rox, I'm not trying to deny that what happened to you wasn't bad, I'm just saying that you can't call her pathetic because she fell down the stairs. If she'd tripped over her own feet and landed on the ground from a foot high and sustained the same injuries, then I'd agree it was sad. But don't go calling her out when her experience isn't exactly sunshine and kittens, either."

Roxas glared at him, then abruptly looked down at his hands, his mood growing apologetic. "I know, I'm sorry. I – it's just that the attack kinda messed me up a little. In here I mean." He tapped the side of his head.

Demyx sighed. "Speaking of which, do you think you can share with us what happened? I mean, we have a general idea, but you're the only one who knows exactly what went down."

"Uh, well, I-"

At that exact moment Vexen bustled through the door, looking a bit more frazzled and annoyed than usual. "Thirteen, it would do best if you would refrain from talking while your throat heals. Excessive conversation will only delay your recovery." Roxas looked over at Demyx and shrugged apologetically, though Demyx could sense he was actually fairly glad he had an excuse to avoid telling him what happened.

Roxas leaned back, allowing Vexen to check his vitals and change the bandages. Demyx tried to give him privacy by looking away – judging by how touchy Roxas was on the entire subject Demyx didn't know how he'd react to that – but his morbid curiosity was overpowering, and he watched out of the corner his eye.

The scars were a vivid red, and the extent of the damage Roxas had endured surprised Demyx. It was worse than he had thought, far worse than he suspected any heartless could have inflicted. Roxas's throat was raw, his flesh torn and bloody, as if it had been clawed by some much more massive entity than a little Shadow. As Vexen dabbed some kind of ointment on the cuts, Demyx heard Roxas growl like a feral animal and hiss. His eyes were stuck shut, but Demyx had the feeling that if they were open, they would be that same sickly green. Vexen paid no heed to Roxas batting and scratching at his hands as he worked; he seemed ignorant to the fact that Roxas was reacting abnormally for a heartless victim.

Of course, it was either that or he knew Demyx was watching.

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"Oh man, oh man, oh man, holy shit, you were right, what do we do?" Demyx groaned as he paced in front of a smug Axel.

"I told you! I told you there is something not right with him! And Vexen knows it, too, that's why he didn't want Rox to tell you what happened!" Axel gloated, elated by the fact that for once he figured something out first, and was right about it.

"But what the hell could've happened that would be such a secret?" Demyx wondered, pausing in his mental breakdown to stare at Axel. "He said to me that he hasn't been right in the head since it happened…and he didn't seem to want to tell. He always either totally clams up or lashes out when we bring it up!"

"Hey, maybe he's a vampire or something! He vants to suck your blooooood…" Axel said with a grin, wiggling his fingers and looking utterly ridiculous. Demyx glared at him and Axel shrank back under the intensity of the fear and hatred mixed in the look. "Okay, not funny," he conceded, putting up his hands in surrender as Demyx continued to stare him down. He rolled his eyes. "Not like vampires are real, anyway…" he muttered.

"Ax! Aren't you the slightest bit worried? Rox got attacked by some vicious creature, and he's obviously having a really hard time with this, and we need to be there for him, but he can't open up to us about it. That means it must have been something really bad!" Demyx cried.

Axel growled. "Of course I'm worried, you idiot! I was the one who kept saying there was something wrong! I was the one who found him and saw the full extent of his injuries, as well as seeing them when they were still fresh and bleeding!"

"Well you sure aren't acting like you care!"

"Demyx! I had to see my best friend almost die! I thought for sure he was going to fade in my arms...he's my little brother. I can't act like it affected me or it'll only hurt him worse. I had to be strong for him, and apparently for you now, too. So don't tell me I don't care, because I care a lot more than you can imagine."

Demyx stood where he was, just staring blankly at Axel for another moment. He had the urge to shoot another scathing comment the pyro's way, but something in the defiant and hurt glare that was being returned at him stopped him. After a moment, he sighed, defeated. He sat down next to Axel and looked away in shame.

"Alright," he said quietly. "Alright, you care. And you're just trying to help Roxas. But Ax, that's what we're both trying to do. We have to work together now. I'm sorry I didn't believe you before, but I get it now, it's just...it's hard to see that a friend really may be in trouble until you see it with your own eyes."

Axel nodded. "Sorry I was acting kind of jerky. But I don't deal with pressure well, you know?"

Demyx laughed. "Oh, believe me, I know. Friends?"

Axel grinned. "Friends."

They shared a quick hug, promptly ending it and looking away from each other. "Sooo…" Demyx wondered aloud. "I think we should just keep a closer eye on Rox from this point out."

"Sounds good to me. Wanna go visit him and Nam?"

"Race ya?"

"You're on!"

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It was hours later when Roxas was asleep once again when Axel left the Infirmary. They had spent the whole time laughing and chatting like old friends, as if nothing was wrong. Roxas hadn't acted any different from what would have been expected of him prior to his trip to the forest.

Demyx had stayed behind to talk to Naminé for a few minutes. Axel had no sooner left the sterile room when a voice called after him.

"Eight!" came the unmistakable voice of Zexion. "I have a job for you. You must accompany me to the site of Thirteen's attack so I can gather evidence for a claim Four and I are working on."

Axel momentarily felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. "Evidence for a claim?" he yelped. "You mean you think you know what happened to him? Tell me, please!"

Zexion shook his head. "My apologies, Eight, but I cannot divulge any information on the subject as of yet. We are grateful that you reported symptoms that have led to our assumptions, but those assumptions must be confirmed prior to any confidence being shared."

Axel slumped, feeling defeated. "But you'll let us know as soon as you can? And in the meantime you'll tell Dem and I if there's anything we can do to help Rox?"

Zexion stood still for a moment, then gave a short nod. "You have my word."

Axel smiled faintly, then looked at Zexion again. "Alrighty, then. Let's go retrace an attack." With that, he opened up a portal to the clearing in which he had discovered Roxas. Without looking back at Zexion, he stepped through and then out into the chillingly familiar void of the forest.

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R&R!


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